Most Business-Friendly Counties in Georgia (2026)

Counties with the best regulatory environment and conditions for starting a business.

Based on data from Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics, Tax Foundation, U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey.

Top 5 Most Business-Friendly Counties

Jackson County — Business-Friendly Score: 69/100
Dawson County — Business-Friendly Score: 68/100
Long County — Business-Friendly Score: 67/100
Bryan County — Business-Friendly Score: 67/100
Greene County — Business-Friendly Score: 61/100

Most Business-Friendly varies dramatically across Georgia's 159 counties — from 69/100 in Jackson County to 29/100 in Clayton County. The state average is 46/100.

Jackson County leads the 2026 ranking at 69/100. The table below ranks all 159 counties, with links to each county's full data profile.

Full County Rankings

Rank	County	Business-Friendly Score	Firm Births/Capita	Effective Tax Rate
#1	Jackson County	69/100	NaN	92.6%
#2	Dawson County	68/100	NaN	68.5%
#3	Long County	67/100	NaN	114.4%
#4	Bryan County	67/100	NaN	83.6%
#5	Greene County	61/100	NaN	69.2%
#6	Bacon County	61/100	NaN	96.8%
#7	Wilcox County	60/100	NaN	93.1%
#8	Oconee County	59/100	NaN	73.8%
#9	Treutlen County	59/100	NaN	105.3%
#10	Taliaferro County	59/100	NaN	127.6%
#11	Troup County	57/100	NaN	100.8%
#12	Bartow County	57/100	NaN	75.4%
#13	Barrow County	57/100	NaN	84.9%
#14	Pickens County	57/100	NaN	70.5%
#15	Johnson County	57/100	NaN	98.9%
#16	Jasper County	57/100	NaN	92.8%
#17	Glascock County	57/100	NaN	104.6%
#18	Monroe County	56/100	NaN	73.7%
#19	Clinch County	56/100	NaN	154.4%
#20	Stewart County	55/100	NaN	100.7%
#21	Oglethorpe County	55/100	NaN	83.6%
#22	Camden County	55/100	NaN	96.2%
#23	Fannin County	55/100	NaN	36.6%
#24	Effingham County	55/100	NaN	100.2%
#25	Bleckley County	55/100	NaN	104.3%
#26	Meriwether County	55/100	NaN	92.4%
#27	Morgan County	54/100	NaN	81.7%
#28	Wilkinson County	54/100	NaN	87.8%
#29	Haralson County	54/100	NaN	90.1%
#30	Baker County	54/100	NaN	75.1%
#31	Houston County	53/100	NaN	86.7%
#32	Wheeler County	53/100	NaN	82.9%
#33	Lincoln County	52/100	NaN	89.5%
#34	Telfair County	52/100	NaN	119.6%
#35	Hart County	52/100	NaN	59.8%
#36	Towns County	51/100	NaN	38.3%
#37	Echols County	51/100	NaN	91.0%
#38	Gilmer County	51/100	NaN	41.1%
#39	Lamar County	51/100	NaN	101.2%
#40	Harris County	50/100	NaN	90.0%
#41	McIntosh County	50/100	NaN	79.4%
#42	Webster County	50/100	NaN	128.9%
#43	Peach County	50/100	NaN	116.1%
#44	Union County	50/100	NaN	52.4%
#45	Madison County	50/100	NaN	83.8%
#46	Forsyth County	50/100	NaN	77.6%
#47	Bulloch County	50/100	NaN	80.6%
#48	Pike County	50/100	NaN	94.6%
#49	Walton County	49/100	NaN	85.0%
#50	Lumpkin County	49/100	NaN	72.5%
#51	Rabun County	49/100	NaN	54.7%
#52	Banks County	48/100	NaN	62.1%
#53	Glynn County	48/100	NaN	65.8%
#54	Fulton County	48/100	NaN	91.2%
#55	Pulaski County	48/100	NaN	96.6%
#56	Taylor County	48/100	NaN	90.3%
#57	Dooly County	48/100	NaN	128.6%
#58	Habersham County	47/100	NaN	68.2%
#59	White County	47/100	NaN	67.7%
#60	Upson County	47/100	NaN	89.2%
#61	Columbia County	47/100	NaN	91.2%
#62	Lanier County	47/100	NaN	103.8%
#63	Coweta County	46/100	NaN	79.8%
#64	Henry County	46/100	NaN	97.6%
#65	Catoosa County	46/100	NaN	73.1%
#66	Lee County	46/100	NaN	103.4%
#67	Elbert County	46/100	NaN	93.1%
#68	Quitman County	46/100	NaN	64.9%
#69	Cherokee County	46/100	NaN	71.3%
#70	Lowndes County	46/100	NaN	85.7%
#71	Franklin County	46/100	NaN	82.9%
#72	Carroll County	46/100	NaN	68.0%
#73	Charlton County	45/100	NaN	101.0%
#74	Walker County	45/100	NaN	84.0%
#75	Chattahoochee County	45/100	NaN	85.3%
#76	Schley County	45/100	NaN	92.7%
#77	Newton County	45/100	NaN	95.1%
#78	Calhoun County	45/100	NaN	112.8%
#79	Heard County	45/100	NaN	68.2%
#80	Putnam County	45/100	NaN	71.3%
#81	Montgomery County	45/100	NaN	100.6%
#82	Douglas County	44/100	NaN	82.3%
#83	Paulding County	44/100	NaN	89.7%
#84	Pierce County	44/100	NaN	96.7%
#85	McDuffie County	44/100	NaN	86.9%
#86	Irwin County	44/100	NaN	112.1%
#87	Hall County	44/100	NaN	79.2%
#88	Brantley County	44/100	NaN	121.6%
#89	Spalding County	44/100	NaN	95.9%
#90	Gordon County	44/100	NaN	72.7%
#91	Crawford County	43/100	NaN	91.3%
#92	Jones County	43/100	NaN	101.6%
#93	Cook County	43/100	NaN	86.6%
#94	Clarke County	43/100	NaN	94.9%
#95	Washington County	43/100	NaN	116.6%
#96	Tift County	42/100	NaN	96.7%
#97	Floyd County	42/100	NaN	82.1%
#98	Emanuel County	42/100	NaN	88.2%
#99	Jenkins County	42/100	NaN	92.2%
#100	Thomas County	42/100	NaN	81.7%
#101	Wayne County	42/100	NaN	82.1%
#102	Murray County	42/100	NaN	66.9%
#103	Fayette County	42/100	NaN	82.6%
#104	Ben Hill County	41/100	NaN	102.8%
#105	Atkinson County	41/100	NaN	93.3%
#106	Wilkes County	41/100	NaN	129.1%
#107	Dade County	41/100	NaN	64.0%
#108	Clay County	41/100	NaN	107.5%
#109	Chatham County	41/100	NaN	94.3%
#110	Butts County	41/100	NaN	84.4%
#111	Turner County	41/100	NaN	120.9%
#112	Twiggs County	41/100	NaN	106.8%
#113	Marion County	40/100	NaN	83.2%
#114	Liberty County	40/100	NaN	115.2%
#115	Miller County	40/100	NaN	135.2%
#116	Rockdale County	40/100	NaN	75.4%
#117	Warren County	40/100	NaN	96.1%
#118	Berrien County	39/100	NaN	106.7%
#119	Cobb County	39/100	NaN	68.8%
#120	Burke County	39/100	NaN	83.8%
#121	Whitfield County	39/100	NaN	72.9%
#122	Jefferson County	39/100	NaN	103.2%
#123	Decatur County	39/100	NaN	96.7%
#124	Macon County	39/100	NaN	106.7%
#125	Evans County	39/100	NaN	88.6%
#126	Toombs County	39/100	NaN	96.8%
#127	Gwinnett County	38/100	NaN	101.7%
#128	Crisp County	38/100	NaN	128.2%
#129	Candler County	38/100	NaN	96.5%
#130	Coffee County	38/100	NaN	75.8%
#131	Laurens County	38/100	NaN	83.9%
#132	Baldwin County	38/100	NaN	75.4%
#133	Colquitt County	38/100	NaN	90.9%
#134	Dodge County	38/100	NaN	93.7%
#135	Seminole County	37/100	NaN	121.1%
#136	Brooks County	37/100	NaN	118.8%
#137	Grady County	37/100	NaN	103.3%
#138	Stephens County	37/100	NaN	85.3%
#139	Jeff Davis County	36/100	NaN	97.3%
#140	Worth County	36/100	NaN	110.4%
#141	Terrell County	36/100	NaN	123.0%
#142	Muscogee County	36/100	NaN	87.8%
#143	Hancock County	36/100	NaN	104.8%
#144	Polk County	36/100	NaN	85.8%
#145	DeKalb County	36/100	NaN	94.8%
#146	Chattooga County	35/100	NaN	84.6%
#147	Ware County	35/100	NaN	103.3%
#148	Richmond County	35/100	NaN	95.6%
#149	Early County	35/100	NaN	81.3%
#150	Screven County	34/100	NaN	110.6%
#151	Sumter County	34/100	NaN	124.1%
#152	Tattnall County	34/100	NaN	101.0%
#153	Appling County	34/100	NaN	74.2%
#154	Bibb County	33/100	NaN	112.3%
#155	Talbot County	33/100	NaN	107.1%
#156	Dougherty County	32/100	NaN	144.3%
#157	Mitchell County	32/100	NaN	135.0%
#158	Randolph County	31/100	NaN	93.2%
#159	Clayton County	29/100	NaN	91.1%

Methodology

Counties are ranked by business-friendly score (higher is better). Data is sourced from Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics, Tax Foundation, U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey. Only counties with available data for this metric are included in the ranking. County names link to the full economy data page for deeper analysis.

Looking for composite rankings across multiple metrics?

View Georgia Composite Rankings →